RV Park and Campground Briefs

The Silver City Ranger District has temporarily closed the following campgrounds due to safety concerns associated with extremely icy/snow-packed conditions within the campgrounds:

Iron Creek Campground, located in the Black Range Mountains off N.M. State Highway 152.

Cherry Creek Campground, located off N.M. State Hwy 15.

McMillan Campground, located off N.M. State Hwy 15.

Campgrounds will reopen as soon as condtions improve. Call (575) 388-8201 for more information. All other campgrounds irn the district remain open.

ILLINOIS

From The Daily Register, Harrisburg:

The Saline County Tourism Board is considering a proposal to develop a 20-site RV park on the east side of the Harrisburg levee in the southern tip of the state.

The board heard presentations from John Gardner and Kerry Camp regarding Elkside, the complex of swimming, fishing, dining and recreational vehicle camping being planned by the Harrisburg Elks Lodge.

The Harrisburg Elks Lodge 1058 has bought the old Lakeside Bar and Grill between Sam Jones Lake and Missouri Street in Harrisburg with plans to turn it into the new lodge hall. Flooding in the spring of 2011 damaged the existing building and the Elks have plans to build a new 8,400-square-foot lodge that can be rented to the public as a banquet hall.

In order to help finance such a building the lodge has plans to create five new businesses on the 11-acre property. Those include a swimming beach on the lake members intend to have open by Memorial Day, fishing in the lake, a concessionaire to take money and sell refreshments, a pavilion with fireplace using the old Lakeside Building structure that may be rented for events and a campground of 20 sites with most being able to support RVs.

OREGON

From The Cannon Beach Gazette:

The Clatsop Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to uphold a ruling from a county land-use hearings officer who cited the Sunset Lake Resort and RV Park for multiple code violations.

The county planning division originally issued a compliance order to the owners, Ken Hick and Resources Northwest Inc., in June 2011 for violations including allowing too many manufactured home and recreational vehicle units on the property, locating units too close to one another, and allowing RV units to be used as permanent dwellings without lawful utility hook-ups. The order followed a year-long investigation by the county that was triggered by a petition from neighboring residents.

In December, Hearings Officer Paul Elsner upheld the compliance order, imposed a fine of $4,200 and required that the violations be addressed by Feb. 1. Elsner ruled that the park contained 42 sites — nine manufactured home and 33 RV unit — more than allowed under county code, which allows a maximum of 16 manufactured home sites and 27 RV sites.

TEXAS

From the Midland Reporter-Telegram:

Big Bend Ranch State Park and Desert Sports in Terlingua will present the second Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest on President’s Day weekend, Feb. 16-18, offering three days of riding for outdoor adventurers of all levels. Other entities hosting the event include Lajitas Golf Resort, Big Bend National Park and the Big Bend Trails Alliance.

“Really what the whole Desert Dirt Fest is, is three days of fun in the sun in the desert,” said Barrett Durst, superintendent of Big Bend Ranch State Park. “It’s about providing an opportunity for folks who like getting out in this neck of the woods to get out and ride the trails.”

The off-road festival ride will feature a two-day option to conquer the 54-mile Fresno-Saucedo “Epic” trail, as designated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. For less experienced riders, there will be mostly flat, 4×4 double-track ranch roads, and advanced cyclists wishing to forgo the Epic Ride can opt for single-track riding on the Dome Trail and Rincon Loops. A children’s ride also will be on the schedule. Each day of the festival ride will include trips led by guides from Desert Sports, Big Bend Trails Alliance and Big Bend Ranch State Park.

The ride’s headquarters will be at Maverick Ranch RV Park in Lajitas, where riders are encouraged to stay in tents or trailers.